Former Peru President Vizcarra sentenced to 14 years in prison for bribery

A Peruvian court sentenced former President Martin Vizcarra to 14 years in prison for accepting nearly $700,000 in bribes while serving as Moquegua governor. Vizcarra, who denies wrongdoing and calls the case “revenge”, is also barred from holding public office for nine years.

Lima: A Peruvian court has handed former President Martin Vizcarra a 14-year prison sentence after finding him guilty of accepting bribes years before he assumed the nation’s highest office, adding another name to the list of Peru’s former leaders convicted in corruption scandals, local media reported.

The court on Wednesday (local time) ruled that Vizcarra took bribes amounting to $676,000 from construction companies in exchange for awarding public works contracts while he was governor of the southern Moquegua region between 2011 and 2014.

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The judge stated that Vizcarra received approximately 2.3 million soles (around 690,000 US dollars) in unlawful contributions from the companies Obrainsa and Contratistas Generales SAT through commissions and staggered payments.

In addition to the prison sentence, the court prohibited Vizcarra from holding any public office for a period of nine years and mandated that he pay 94,900 soles in civil damages.

After the ruling, Vizcarra expressed on social media that he was a target of “revenge” for opposing what he referred to as a “mafia pact.”

During the trial, which began last October, Vizcarra repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and insisted that he was being targeted for political reasons.

He rose to the presidency in 2018 following his predecessor’s resignation but was removed by Congress two years later amid ongoing graft investigations.

His older brother, Mario Vizcarra, is preparing to contest the April 2026 presidential election under the ‘Peru First’ banner, a party in which the former president remains a key advisor.

In the 2021 polls, Vizcarra secured the highest number of votes among congressional candidates but was later barred by Congress from holding public office for ten years after he dissolved the legislature in 2019.

Peru continues to grapple with deep political instability, having cycled through six presidents since 2018 due to resignations and impeachment proceedings often rooted in corruption allegations.

Three other former presidents are also behind bars. Alejandro Toledo and Ollanta Humala are serving sentences for corruption, while Pedro Castillo remains detained as he faces rebellion charges.’